Beginning the study - B&H Academic

1 Beginning the s tudyI n t r o d u c tI o nFor centuries Christians and Jews alike considered the old testament a unified work. Jewish readers viewed the Hebrew Scriptures as a thorough account of their faith and history. Christians treated the old testament as the natural introduction to their New testament . Neither group failed to acknowledge the many types of literature in the books, but both communities of faith found underlying themes and characters that bound the whole the last two centuries, however, the diversity of the old testament has been stressed. Children are taught that the Bible is not a book but many books. College and seminary students often analyze each bibli-cal book in isolation from other Scripture. Therefore many individuals have little sense of the wholeness of Scripture.

2 Few people can fit spe-cific stories into a larger biblical picture. Lacking a grasp of the overall old testament plot and purpose, Bible students struggle to understand particular book attempts to chart some elements that unify the old testament . Its purpose is to serve as a companion to Bible reading. Characters, plot, structure, themes, and historical settings are high-lighted so the reader will know what is happening in the old testament . Theology and criticism are not absent, but they play a secondary role. The reader is referred to more detailed studies of these subjects. This book seeks to help readers appreciate the unity of the old testament . If students can master the introductory principles this book covers, they will then be prepared to move on to further rd e r o f t h e S t u dyEvery old testament survey must choose a way to approach its sub-ject.

3 Some authors stress the theological content of the books. Others describe in detail the historical background of the old testament . Beyond these concerns many textbooks explain the books according to when they appear in the English Bible. Still others assemble the texts in historical order. For Christians it seems logical to study the Hebrew Bible as the early church survey 16/15/07 10:13:36 AM old testament S U R V E YThe first disciples only Scripture was the old testament . They be-lieved it was inspired by God as their guide for faith and action (2 Tm 3:16). Their Bible was divided into three specific parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (see Lk 24:44). That order will be followed throughout this book. Notice how the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible differs from the English Bible: Law Prophets WritingsGenesisJoshuaPsalmsExodusJudgesJ obLeviticus1 and 2 SamuelProverbsNumbers1 and 2 KingsRuthDeuteronomyIsaiahSong of SongsJeremiahEcclesiastesEzekielLamentat ionsThe TwelveEsther(Hosea Malachi)DanielEzraNehemiah1 and 2 ChroniclesMost students realize immediately that some books seem misplaced in the Hebrew Bible.

4 After all, Ruth, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles are not with the other historical works. Daniel is not among the Prophets, and Lamentations is not with Jeremiah. Some readers even doubt the Hebrew Bible s counting system. Perhaps 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, or 1 and 2 Chronicles could be one book, but how can twelve Minor Prophets make one book? The same thirty-nine books are in the Hebrew and English Bibles, so why the differences? These are vital questions if one wants to understand the early church s Bible. The answers to these questions help demonstrate the unity of the Old the Hebrew order of books offers many advantages. First, the reader learns the basic events of Israel s history from creation to the fall of Jerusalem. All succeeding books therefore have a histori-cal context to which the reader can refer.

5 Second, the student realizes that the Prophets explain Israel s history. Third, the reader learns that the Prophets present a uniform message. Fourth, the student observes OT survey 26/15/07 10:13:37 AMB e g i n n i n g t h e S t u d y how the Writings comment on how faithful persons lived given Israel s historical other words the Hebrew Bible s sequence shows what happened to Israel, why it happened, and how believers responded to both. By surveying the old testament in this order, the ways history, theology, and faith work together in Scripture become evident. Certainly the New testament authors interpreted the old testament in this unified I t e r a ry a Sp e c tS o f t h e S t u dyNo piece of literature, sacred or secular, can be understood un-less readers know some basic facts about the material.

6 Characters and plot are the starting points for all literary analysis. They exist within specific historical settings. Themes and symbols add meaning to story lines. Different types of literature operate in different ways. Certainly some knowledge of these aspects of the old testament will aid begin-ning tersAnalyzing characters means more than simply noting who appears in a story. Once characters have been identified, the reader needs to know their natures. Is the character positive or negative in the story? Does the character make a significant impact on the account? What are the character s motives? What do other characters say about the indi-vidual in question? Or does a disparity here point to character weak-ness or plot irony? Further, do the character s actions and words agree? Asking these and other questions about old testament figures will guide the reader s perception of the significance of each individual character.

7 Normally, the characters who impact the plot the most are the most significant in the involves what happens in a story and why it happens. Good plots are formed by the ideas, dreams, and conflicts of its characters and are logically ordered. A mere tracing of events does not explain a plot. Rather, motives and explanations determine plot. The fact that Israel leaves Egypt (Ex 1) tells a story, but to know that God causes Israel to be freed uncovers a plots may be comic or tragic. Tragic stories begin hope-fully but eventually end sadly. For example, Israel s failure to enter the promised land (Nm 13 19) is a tragic account. Comic plots are OT survey 36/15/07 10:13:37 AM old testament S U R V E Ynot necessarily funny or satirical. When literary scholars say a plot is comic, they mean the story has a pleasant, or happy, ending.

8 All may seem negative in the middle of the story, but any problems are resolved by the plot s end. David s rise to Israel s throne despite Saul s hatred (1 Sm 16 2 Sm 4) represents a comic plot. Realizing whether a plot is comic or tragic is vital to understanding old testament themes in literature helps the reader understand the pur-pose behind characters and plots. Why certain accounts appear in Scripture can often be explained by a book s theme. For example, the major theme of Judges is, In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes (Jdg 17:6; 21:25 NRSV). Therefore, the author includes many occurrences that may shock or repulse the students fear the word theology. Though the study of theol-ogy can become complicated, at its Beginning level theology identi-fies and studies great Bible themes related to God and human beings.

9 When readers begin to locate major themes in the old testament , they are doing basic theology. For example, to see that Isaiah stresses salva-tion is a first step toward defining salvation in the Old put, symbols are images, words, or phrases that represent something beyond themselves. Symbols point to deeper meaning or reality. The temple represents God s presence among Israel. Ezekiel uses his vision of dry bones (Ezk 37:1 14) to illustrate Israel s re-newal. In the Prophets, Hosea s wife Gomer is unfaithful to her hus-band. Hosea then claims that Israel is just as unfaithful to God. So symbols make themes come alive. They challenge readers to envision and think about a r oS eMost of the old testament is written in a nonpoetic style. This statement is particularly true of the Law and Former Prophets.

10 Prose is action oriented. It describes events and the importance of those events. Rarely will standard prose convey abstract meaning or reveal in great detail the inner feelings of a character. Books that have a fixed starting and stopping place, like Samuel and Kings, are best served by prose since they tell specific actions and survey 46/15/07 10:13:37 AMB e g i n n i n g t h e S t u d y Prose proceeds logically. Whether a text describes the life of an individual, tribe, or nation, prose has a Beginning , middle, and end. The author may comment on why events happen but always bases those comments on the story itself. Each story has unique elements that make it creative and o e t ryEach major section (Law, Prophets, or Writings) of the old testament contains poetry.